1 Nephi 15:26-30

Nephi's brothers ask him about a river that Lehi saw in his dream. To remember, this is what Lehi said, in 1 Nephi 8:13, " 13 And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit."

Nephi actually spent several verses describing the meaning of the river. Nephi first says that the river was filthiness. He also states that Lehi had so many other things on his mind that he did not behold the filthiness of the river that went by the tree. We can see that in verse 13 of chapter 8 that he was very concerned about his family at the time and seeing them in the vision, hopefully next to the tree of life.

Next, Nephi states that the angel tells him that the river represents a hell that is prepared for the wicked. Additionally, it represented the justice of God, separating the wicked from the righteous, and that it was bright which brightness ascended up forever.

It seems that there is a lot here that this river represents. There is much more here, but we will take the next part, next time. : )

1 Nephi 15:25

Verse 25 shows that Nephi noticed his brothers humility and sincerity in asking questions. He realized that his brothers were in a mindset to listen to counsel. So, he took advantage of it and exhorted them to give heed to the word of God. He did so with every ounce of energy he possessed, using every faculty or capability that he had. In other words, it was a really strong invitation.

I am reminded of the Savior. Later in Nephi's life he talks about how the Savior does His work and invites all to follow him. In 2 Nephi 26, we read:

" 23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.

" 24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.

" 25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.

" 26 Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.

" 27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance.

" 28 Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden."

This is such a great opportunity to find happiness. I think that if we come to Jesus and follow his example, part of which is shown here, we will be happy.

1 Nephi 15:23-24

Nephi's brothers now ask about the meaning of the rod of iron that extended from the tree. Nephi explains that it is the word of God. Nephi mentions a great and important thing about the rod of iron that I like to share with members in instructional settings. He testifies that if you hearken to the word of God and hold fast to it, two things will happen: (1) you will never perish, (2) and the fiery darts of the adversary will never overpower you unto blindness and lead you away to destruction. Remember that there were those people on the path that did not hold to the rod and when the mists of darkness came the did lose their way into forbidden paths and were lost. I know that hearkening and holding fast to the word of God will protect you and keep you spiritually seeing things as they really are, with no confusion.

1 Nephi 15:21-22

A quick note about verse 20. We first see one of Nephi's many references to Isaiah. Isaiah is one of the books in the brass plates. Nephi loves the words of Isaiah. He will say so here sometime soon in a few chapters. We also see something that many might not have believed possible. The very end of verse 20 says that Nephi's brothers began to humble themselves before the Lord. This is great! We will definitely keep tabs on Nephi's comments on his brothers' spirituality.

In today's section, we get to hear some questions Nephi's brothers ask because they are humble and ready to receive answers. Nephi is excited and patient to explain these things to them even though they didn't ask of the Lord. In verse 21, they ask about the meaning of the tree that their father saw. Nephi answers and says that it is a representation of the tree of life.

I did a quick search on the tree of life and found that the tree of life was in the Garden of Eden. Apparently if one partakes of the fruit of the tree of life, they will live forever. In 2 Nephi 2:15, it says that the tree of life was an opposition to the tree with the forbidden fruit, which would cause spiritual death, the one being sweet and the other bitter. This is a great insight. One truth made explicit by the Book of Mormon. After Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, a cherubim and a flaming sword were sent to keep “the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24).

1 Nephi 15:19-20

Nephi states that he spoke to his brothers more about the last days, especially that the Jews would be restored to the knowledge of the truth. He even told them about the words of Isaiah, and that he prophesied of the restoration of the Jews as well. I looked up the cross-reference hoping to see if the passage from Isaiah would be there. They referenced Isaiah 40:9, which says, "9 ¶ O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!" This passage was taken out of a time when Isaiah was prophesying of Jesus's second coming. There would be great changes in the earth and many shall proclaim His divinity. The Jews shall be told to behold their God, the one they crucified. Then they shall believe and know as Jesus shows them the nail prints in his hands and feet, and the spear wound in his side.

1 Nephi 15:17-18

In verse 17, Nephi is explaining to his brothers that their seed will not be grafted back into the olive tree until after they had been scattered by the Gentiles. We have seen that this is true. The Gentiles have scattered the seed of Nephi and his brothers. We have seen this with the settling of the New World by European countries. The natives were conquered. However, we now see that they are receiving the gospel. They are a believing people and the Church is thriving among them. This flourishment is a manifestation of the power of God. Verse 17 also says that this same success will happen when Jesus is on the earth and that it is this success that shall be the very cause he will be rejected of the Jews, I think, but I'm not sure.

In the next verse, Nephi adds that it will not only be their seed that will be converted, but all of the house of Israel. He testifies that that this is due to the Lord's promise to Abraham saying that through him all the kindreds of the earth shall be blessed.

I thought that this thought from the Book of Mormon Institute Manual was helpful for these verses:

"The Book of Mormon writers often used the term Jew in a broader sense than we use it today. By Lehi’s time the Ten Tribes had been lost and the kingdom of Judah was the only known group of Israelites, so the term Jew sometimes meant more than just a member of the tribe of Judah. Throughout the Book of Mormon we find this broad usage where often the world is divided into Jews and Gentiles (see 1 Nephi 13:42, 2 Nephi 27:1, Mormon 7:8). In these verses Nephi clearly foresees the mission, trials, scatterings, and destiny of the tribes of Israel."

Inquiring of the Lord

Earlier in chapter 15, Nephi asks his brothers if they've inquired of the Lord to gain an understanding of the words of their father. Nephi testifies to them that if you ask in faith, truly believing that you will receive, and if you are keeping the commandments, He will answer you (see verse 8). I know that this is true. Here is a quote from President Packer on the subject from the Book of Mormon Institute Manual:

Elder Boyd K. Packer taught that everyone may receive spiritual guidance in the same way as an Apostle if they will diligently seek the Lord, ask with faith, and obey his commandments:
“You can learn now, in your youth, to be led by the Holy Ghost.
“As an Apostle I listen now to the same inspiration, coming from the same source, in the same way, that I listened to as a boy. The signal is much clearer now. . . .
“No message is repeated more times in scripture than the simple thought: ‘Ask, and ye shall receive’ (D&C 4:7).
“I often ask the Lord for direction from Him. I will not, however, willingly accept promptings from any unworthy source. I refuse them. I do not want them, and I say so.
“Young people, carry a prayer in your heart always. Let sleep come every night with your mind centered in prayer.
“Keep the Word of Wisdom.
“Read the scriptures.
“Listen to your parents and to the leaders of the Church.
“Stay away from places and things that common sense tells you will interfere with inspiration.
“Develop your spiritual capacities.
“Learn to tune out the static and the interference.
“Avoid the substitutes and the counterfeits!
“Learn to be inspired and directed by the Holy Ghost” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1979, p. 30; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, p. 21).

1 Nephi 15:15-16

In verse 15, Nephi is stating that when their seed, his and his brothers', receive the gospel again, would they rejoice? Yes! They will be nourished from the true vine. They will be a part of the true fold of God. Because of their conversions, they will be remembered again of God and become a natural branch of the olive tree and be grafted into the true olive tree again. Nephi says that Lehi said that this would not happen until after their seed is scattered by the Gentiles. Then it will be the Gentiles that will bring the gospel to the remnant of the seed of Nephi and his brothers.

Here is what the Book of Mormon Institute Manual says about the "true vine" and the work:

Of the great latter-day work among the Lamanites, President Spencer W. Kimball stated:
“Of immense importance to this work of gathering the scattered branches of the house of Israel is the work of carrying the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to the Lamanites, for the Lord’s work in these latter days can in no wise be complete until these children of great promise are brought back into the fold. The Lord said through his prophet Lehi, ‘Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive-tree, into the true olive-tree.’ (1 Ne. 15:16.) We are witnesses to these events. . . .
“. . . For a thousand years after the closing of the Book of Mormon record, these people wandered in spiritual darkness and were scattered upon the American continents and the isles of the sea. They lost their written language, their high culture, and, worst of all, their knowledge of the living God and his work. Faith was replaced by fear, rich language by crippled dialects, and an understanding of God and his ways by idolatry. . . . Only the most brazen soul could fail to weep when contemplating the fall of this people, and yet it was the decree of the Lord that the Lamanites should be preserved in the land, that this remnant of Joseph should again come into their promised inheritance. . . .
“. . . The Lord’s promises with regard to the Lamanites began to be fulfilled with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon in this dispensation (see Eth. 4:17). . . .
“Truly our paths have met once more—we a mixed remnant of Israel, principally Ephraim, even referred to as gentiles, now come forth out of captivity (see, e.g., 1 Ne. 13:19, 39), . . . now only through the grace of Almighty God restored to the blessings of the gospel, that we in turn might be a blessing to the nations of the earth; and the Lamanites, also a people of disobedience now returned to the fold. . . .
“The Lamanites must rise again in dignity and strength to fully join their brethren and sisters of the household of God in carrying forth his work in preparation for that day when the Lord Jesus Christ will return to lead his people” (“Our Paths Have Met Again,” Ensign, Dec. 1975, pp. 4–5, 7).

1 Nephi 15:14

Nephi testifies that the remnant of their seed in the last days will be taught the gospel. It is an amazing thing what they will learn. Before, he said that the Gentiles will bring it to them. The knowledge is incredible. Here is what he said that they will be taught and know:

1. They shall know that they are of the house of Israel.
2. They shall know that they are the covenant people of the Lord.
3. They shall know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers.
4. They shall also come to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him.
5. They shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer.
6. They shall come to the knowledge of the very points of His doctrine, that they may know how to come unto Him and be saved.

What an amazing thing to know that one is of the house of Israel, and we are! We are a covenant people of the Lord and have blessings and responsibilities because so. Hopefully we can come to a knowledge of our forefathers. Those who came before spiritually and physically. We need to learn as much as we can about the gospel of our Redeemer. The good news that He came, lived, and died for us. He left an example for how we should live and provided a way that our death would not be the end thereof. He provided a way for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father. This ties into coming to a knowledge of our Redeemer and the very points of His doctrine (faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, to name a few). The great thing about it all, too, is that we can be a part of fulfilling this prophecy. We can go out and help all the others come to this knowledge. We are required to do so and the missionaries are there to help us. So, let us pray for missionary experiences.

1 Nephi 15:12-13

Nephi now turns to explaining what the "branches of the olive tree" meant in Lehi's words to his brothers and him.

In verse 12 he says that the house of Israel was compared to an olive tree. The house of Israel is the twelve tribes if Israel or the descendants of Israel. Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh are three big ones. Judah being the Jews and Christ was one. Ephraim is the tribe that has many church members or the Gentiles referred to in the Book of Mormon. We have a responsibility to bear the priesthood, proclaim the gospel, and the raise the ensign for the gathering of Israel. Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh and so many of the native American tribes are his descendants. They are charged with assisting the tribe of Ephraim in the gathering of Israel.

This is what Nephi is saying. Aren't we a branch of the olive tree or a part of the house of Israel that is broken off because we are going to a promised land in the Americas? Then our father talked about grafting in the natural branches of the olive tree through the fullness of the Gentiles. This means that in the latter days when only the seed of the Lamanites remains and has dwindled into unbelief (many years after Christ came), shall the fullness of the gospel be taught to them. This is happening in our day. We are called to be missionaries and invite people to church. We are in charge of gathering them into the fold. We need do what we can to fulfill this scripture, and we will.

1 Nephi 15:7-11

In 1 Nephi 8, Lehi describes a dream that he had with his family. Nephi did not understand everything from the dream and wanted to. He asked the Lord personally and received an understanding of many, if not all, things. Now, in verse 7 of chapter 15, Nephi is talking with his brothers about understanding the things from Lehi's dream.

There were two specific points that his brothers asked about: (1) the natural branches of the olive tree and (2) the Gentiles. We have discussed the Gentiles in previous posts. However, we have not discussed branches of the olive tree. Nephi said that there were many more things that he and his father taught that are not in this record. I'm thinking that up to this point the natural branches of the olive tree are one of those things. Let's see what Nephi says.

He asks, in verse 8, his brothers if they've inquired of the Lord. They respond that they didn't and that the Lord maketh no such thing know to them. When I read this verse, I thought about saying straight out that their attitude did not reflect one of faith. Nephi handles it a little better.

Nephi begins by asking them how come they have not kept the commandments of the Lord. He also asks, how come they will perish because of the hardness of their hearts (remembering the vision). He brings to their memory that if one does not harden their heart, and asks in faith, truly believing that they shall receive, surely they will be made known. The key that Nephi is stressing here is that you have to keep the commandments. President Packer said once that sometimes the Lord will wait in fulfilling this promise. Sometimes He wants to test you and see if you will lived the commandments a little longer before He reveals what you desire. So, remember that petitions to Him are dependent on His timetable, but He listens and will direct you to what is best for you. The hard part is to listen to Him and obey. I hope that we all can.

1 Nephi 15:4-6

Because Nephi's brothers did ask the Lord to help them with their misunderstandings, or anything else for that matter, he was grieved. This also made him remember that because of the hardness of their hearts, their posterity would dwell in wickedness for hundreds of years.

Then Nephi becomes even more grieved because eventually he knows that his people will become wicked and fall. He says that his afflictions were great above all.

In verse 6, it says that after Nephi received strength, he asked his brothers about the cause of their disputations. I thought that the phrase "received strength" was interesting. I first thought that it was because he was so sad and the Lord strengthened him to keep going even though the eventual future was bleak. This may still be true. The word "strength" had a footnote and I clicked on it. The two scriptures were Moses 1:10, and Joseph Smith-History 1:20, 48, both out of the Pearl of Great Price.

Moses 1:8-10 said:

" 8 And it came to pass that Moses looked, and beheld the world upon which he was created; and Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created; of the same he greatly marveled and wondered.

" 9 And the presence of God withdrew from Moses, that his glory was not upon Moses; and Moses was left unto himself. And as he was left unto himself, he fell unto the earth.

" 10 And it came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed."

Moses has a vision like Nephi and because the Holy Ghost was upon him which allowed him to be in the presence of God, his natural mortal body just collapses. He receives his natural strength after many hours and has his epiphany. Something that we will discuss at a later time.

In Joseph Smith-History 1:20, 48, we read:

In this section, Joseph Smith is receiving a visitation from God, the Father, and Jesus Christ. What a remarkable thing! He prayed to them asking them which church to join in 1820. This is what was said and what happened afterward (like the Moses story):

" 20 He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. And as I leaned up to the fireplace, mother inquired what the matter was. I replied, “Never mind, all is well—I am well enough off.” I then said to my mother, “I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true.” It seems as though the adversary was aware, at a very early period of my life, that I was destined to prove a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom; else why should the powers of darkness combine against me? Why the opposition and persecution that arose against me, almost in my infancy?

Verse 48 is about a time when Joseph Smith was about 18 and had prayed to God asking Him for forgiveness and asked Him about his place in life and the grand scheme of things. The Lord gave him a work to do. An angel came to his room at night three times to instruct Joseph, and as a consequence, Joseph did not sleep much at all that night. Here is what happened next:

" 48 I shortly after arose from my bed, and, as usual, went to the necessary labors of the day; but, in attempting to work as at other times, I found my strength so exhausted as to render me entirely unable. My father, who was laboring along with me, discovered something to be wrong with me, and told me to go home. I started with the intention of going to the house; but, in attempting to cross the fence out of the field where we were, my strength entirely failed me, and I fell helpless on the ground, and for a time was quite unconscious of anything."

Then, he sees the angel a fourth time, receives a vision of a hill nearby where ancient records were buried, records engraven on plates of gold. He was to translate them and they came forth as the Book of Mormon, the text that we are studying right now.

1 Nephi 15:1-3

Nephi's vision is complete. Afterward, he returns to the tent of his father. He encounters his brethren disputing the things that Lehi testified and prophesied to them. Being that many things were hard to understand and that Laman and Lemuel were not righteous most of the time, they did not think to do things like Nephi and ask of the Lord.

This brings me to a question. When the prophet speaks to us and we encounter a commandment that is hard for us to understand and do, do we think to ask of the Lord? In fact, this is what we should do when the prophet gives us a commandment. We need to be on the same page as him. This is done be praying and asking God for confirmation that the commandment is for us. When we do this we gain a testimony of that commandment, thus being more converted to the gospel, and in a position to receive more and higher commandments.

1 Nephi 14:28-EoC

Verse 28 says that Nephi says that he is forbidden to write the rest of the things that he saw and that the small amount that he wrote sufficed. Then, after all he shared with us, I think that the most important part he emphasized here in the end. Verse 29, "And I bear record that I saw the things which my father saw, and the angel of the Lord did make them known unto me." He wanted us to know that he saw what his father saw, and that they were made know unto him by an angel.

He ends the chapter by saying again that he is not going to write more, but that all these things were done while he was carried away in the Spirit, and that they are true.

I've wondered if Nephi was literally physically transported by the Holy Ghost to a mountain to have this vision or if it was just while he was in his tent one night dreaming it all. What do you think?

One more thought from Verse 14 of this chapter from the Book of Mormon Institute Manual:

To be armed with righteousness is to be armed with the power of God and to be worthy of the Lord’s protecting care. The Lord has made it clear that those who will be safe in the last days are those who have “received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide” (D&C 45:57).
President Harold B. Lee taught: “By faith in God you can be attuned to the Infinite and by power and wisdom obtained from your Heavenly Father harness the powers of the universe to serve you in your hour of need in the solution of problems too great for your human strength or intelligence” (Church News, 15 Aug. 1970, p. 2).
With the power of the priesthood, faith, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Saints of the last days will be armed sufficiently to withstand all opposition.

1 Nephi 14:18-27

Here is where the details of the events of Nephi's vision come to a close for us. I think that it is interesting that it is the time of our day with just a couple of indications for the future. The angel shows Nephi a man dressed in a white robe. He is told that it is one of the apostles of the Lamb. He is charged with writing the remainder of the things that will be shown to Nephi, things that have been and the end of the world. We'll play another guessing game with this item the angel describes.

The angel testifies that the things that this apostle will write are just and true. They will be contained in the book that proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And that when he wrote it, the things were plain and precious and easy to understand, but now they are not.

The angel again reiterates that Nephi he is not to write them, but this apostle is to write them. He says that others have seen these things, were commanded to write them and seal them up to come forth at the due time of the Lord. The cross reference to this is in Ether 3-4. In chapter 3, the Brother of Jared has a vision of the things that Nephi saw. In chapter 4, he is commanded to write them and seal them up. But this is not the book that the apostle wrote...

Here is another clue in verse 27. The angel tells Nephi that the name of the apostle is John. What book did John write that tells about the end of the world? It is the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. We can see that this book is not easy to read, too. Only if it hadn't been altered. Well, I know that if someone reads it with the Spirit, they will understand every word, just like when a person read Isaiah with the Spirit.

1 Nephi 14:14-17

Nephi sees that the power of God is with the covenant people of the Lord. I am/want to stay in that group, because Nephi saw that wars and rumors of wars were made by those who belonged to the great and abominable church against the saints of God. I want to be on the side that has the power of God with them. I want to know that there are more with us than against us. I imagine that it might literally be that way. A story that fits my vision is found in 2 Kings 6:15-17, during one of the many times Syria comes against Israel to war. At this time, Elisha is the prophet:

"15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."

Verse 17 talks about the spiritual wars that go on. Again, there are more with us than with them. Here is a pertinent scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 84:88:

" 88 And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

When we go and preach, or share, the gospel, we have the support of Heavenly Father. That is, if we are righteous and we pray beforehand. Let us do so.

1 Nephi 14:12-13

Verse 12 describes what I think the Church is like today. The members are few because of the wickedness of the whore who sits on the many waters. The people are blinded from the truth by the church of the devil. It goes on to say that the saints of God were small, but were upon all the face of the Earth. I don't think that we are quite in the position to say this. There are several main countries where we don't have a presence. Well, at least not a presence enough to proselyte. Perhaps it is sufficient for this scripture to say that there are members present in all countries. Maybe they're in the army and are not in a position to share the gospel a lot.

Verse 13 is a little intimidating. This fight could be temporal and/or spiritual. But, it seems that even though we are small in number, the great mother of abominations will gather together and fight with us. I say us, because I'm a part of the small band of saints.

From the Book of Mormon Institute manual:

President Hugh B. Brown spoke of the “final battle” between Satan and his followers and the followers of God:
“I hope that every young man under the sound of my voice will resolve tonight, ‘I am going to keep myself clean. I am going to serve the Lord. I am going to prepare every way I can for future service, because I want to be prepared when the final battle shall come.’ “And some of you young men are going to engage in that battle. Some of you are going to engage in the final testing time, which is coming and which is closer to us than we know” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1967, p. 115).

This was said back in 1967. Now it is 2008. Are we fighting a battle? I know that we are fighting a very large spiritual battle. In a recent meeting with some general authorities, they said that it is shocking how many of our youth fall away, because of this battle. They are our most important priority.

1 Nephi 14:8-11

After the angel had spoken the words about the captivity of the devil and the goals of those that belong to the great and abominable church, he asked Nephi if he remembered the covenants that the Lord had made with his fathers, or Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Nephi said yes. The angel shows Nephi again the great and abominable church. He says that the great and abominable church is the mother of abominations and that the founder is the devil.

Next, the angel says that there are save two churches only, one being the church of the Lamb of God and the other the church of the devil. And whoso does not belong to the church of God belongeth to the great church of the devil, the mother of abominations, and the whore of all the earth. I think that verse 11 describes what this means. It says that she sat upon the many waters, and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. The cross reference to Jeremiah 51:13 helps to know what it means that 'she sat upon the many waters.' It says:

"13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness."

The waters contain many treasures and represents covetousness. These things are right in line with the goals of the great and abominable church.

Here is quote from the Book of Mormon Institute manual about the only two churches:

Elder Bruce R. McConkie defined the church of the devil in the following way: “The church of the devil is the world; it is all the carnality and evil to which fallen man is heir; it is every unholy and wicked practice; it is every false religion, every supposed system of salvation which does not actually save and exalt man in the highest heaven of the celestial world.
It is every church except the true church, whether parading under a Christian or a pagan banner. As Moroni will say in a later era of Nephite history, and as we shall ascertain in our evaluation of Rev. 18:1–24, it is ‘secret combinations,’ oath-bound societies, and the great world force of Godless communism. (Ether 8:14–26.)” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:551).

1 Nephi 14:7

Nephi's vision continues...

The angel tells Nephi about a great and marvelous work that will be done in the last days. We know that this is the restoration of the gospel, the church of Christ, and missionary work or the gathering of Israel. He describes the work as everlasting, which means that it will not stop. Here is a familiar quote that confirms the everlastingness of the work:

“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done” (History of the Church, 4:540).

We also know that this work involves missionary work, because after the angel announced that the great and marvelous work would take place, he says that the work will be either unto the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal or delivering them to the hardness of their hearts, the blindness of their minds, unto their being brought down into captivity of the devil and destruction, both temporally and spiritually.

1 Nephi 14:6

Verse 6 begins with a wo from the angel. Wo be unto the Gentiles if they harden their hearts against the Lamb of God. Modern day application: do not harden your heart against the Lamb of God and refuse His counsel, teachings, and commandments. His one request to show that you love Him (opposite of hardening your heart) is to keep His commandments (see John 14:15).

When I read this scripture, I remembered a seminary lesson where the teacher talked about the number of times "wo" was said in a row. For example, there are only three occurances of times when the Lord said wo three times in a row, twice in the Book of Mormon and once in Revelation:

1. 2 Nephi 28:15
" 15 O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredomes, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!" (emphasis added). As you can see, there are several things that the Lord does will not tolerate.

2. 3 Nephi 9:2
This is a scripture coming from the time when the greater part of the people of the Nephites were destroyed because of their wickedness at the time if the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Again here are some consequences for hardening your heart against the Lord. They were wicked and had rejected the prophets.
"2 Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!" (emphasis added). Here, again, is another example of how the devil will not support his children in the end.

3. Revelation 8:13
The Bible uses a different spelling of wo (or woe).
"13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!" (emphasis added). We can deduce that if an angel, who have been used to call men to repentence, is flying through the air crying woe, that the people have been wicked where this is he is going.

Well, be good! Three woes, three times in the scriptures...

1 Nephi 14:4-5

Verse 4 finishes the thought that we looked at yesterday. Those that follow the devil and do not accept the gospel must be cast down to hell. This is according to the justice of God, and God does not lie.

Verse 5 states that if the Gentiles repent, it shall be well with them. I think that this is true for anyone, too. The angel also states that Nephi knows of the covenants of the Lord with the house of Israel. The angel says, too, that Nephi has also heard that whoso repenteth will not perish, which confirms my earlier thought.

So, my next thought is, what are the covenants of the Lord with the house of Israel? I did a search in the scriptures and found that there was one main reference, the Abrahamic Covenant. (This entry in the Bible Dictionary is truly amazing. It is not long, nor is it eloquent, but if you think about the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to us, it is truly amazing.) I had heard once that this is the secondary theme of the Book of Mormon, the first being to testify of Christ. The theme being that the Lord will fulfill the covenants He made with their fathers.

There were others, too. Like that the Lord would provide a way for the house of Israel in the last days to have the gospel preached unto them. Also, He covenanted with Joseph, a son of Jacob. These covenants are described in the Book of Mormon and were probably taken from the brass plates. Their description starts in 2 Nephi 3:4. The Nephites and Lamanites are mentioned and Joseph Smith is as well. Any covenant with the Lord is powerful. Baptism is a wonderful opportunity to make a covenant, or two-way promise, with someone who will not break it. We renew it every week at church with the sacrament.

1 Nephi 14:3

Verse 3 is very interesting. It took me a little pondering to kind of get the gist of it, but I'm not sure if I still understand the meaning.

It seems that the great and abominable church has dug a pit for the people of God, the true followers of Christ. Perhaps when they took out plain and precious parts of the Bible was contributed to the digging of the pit. Anyway, they dig a pit to trap the good people of the earth and ensnare them in it. Fortunately, there are other verses that discuss this practice of wicked people (see Psalms 57:6, Matthew 7:1-2, 1 Nephi 22:13-14, Doctrine and Covenants 10:25-27, Doctrine and Covenants 109:25).

The purpose of the pit is revealed in the next phrases. The pit dug by the great and abominable church, which consists of the devil and his followers, is to lead away the good souls down to hell. Anything that is good is of Christ. Anything that is not is of the devil, and if you seek after it, you are falling into the pit and going down the path to hell. The devil makes many things out to be bright and twinkling, but these are just imitations. Take care to see if the fruits are good or bad. Pay attention to your feelings about the thing. Watch the church leaders for the example. This advice will help you to not fall into the pit.

The angel prophesies that the pit that has been dug to ensnare the righteous, will be filled by those who dug it. The followers of the devil will be miserable and he does not support them at the last day (see Alma 30:60), even thought he might promise you that he will, or that there is no devil or sin. Finally, those that fell into their own pit will be cast off to hell, and if the devil does not support them in the last day, hell will be a lonely place because they will know that they could have kept the truth and be saved, but did not.

(Hopefully this wasn't too depressing of an entry. I know that Heavenly Father loves us an will do all He can to help us to be saved. We just have to listen to Him and turn to Him, and that is an encouraging thought.)

1 Nephi 14:1-2

The chapter begins with Nephi still in vision with an angel of the Lord. He is explaining to Nephi about the Gentiles in the last days, or in other words, us. It is another way that we can see that the Book of Mormon was written for us.

Verse 1 is written to those who have not been listening to or have not heard the Lord lately. It says that if they hearken unto the Lord, He shall manifest Himself in power, and word, and deed, and He will remove their stumbling blocks, or the things in the last chapter that have crept into the scriptures to blind men. It could also mean that He will remove the things that they are dealing with, like unemployment or spiritual poverty. What a marvelous blessing to not have stumbling blocks. Although if that is true, you should be grateful, because I don't think many in this life are that well off.

Verse 2 reiterates a lot that has been said. If we, as a nation, hearken unto the Lord, we shall be numbered among the seed of Lehi, or in other words, the house of Israel. We will be able to get the blessings that were given to those of their posterity. It goes into some of those blessings here in the verse. We shall be blessed to prosper on this land. We will not be brought under captivity, and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded.

Today was about hearkening unto the Lord. Let us do so and be blessed as he promised.

1 Nephi 13:41-EoC

Verses 41 and 42 are the last verses in this chapter. Nephi continues his great vision. He has seen many things in this chapter about our recent history many hundred years before Christ even came.

Verse 41 says that the record of the Nephites (Book of Mormon) and the record of the Jews and apostles (Bible) and the latter-day revelations shall be established as one because there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth. One fulfillment of this prophecy came in about 1980, when the church fully cross-references the four Standard Works of the church. I tried to find more about this process, but couldn't. The result is essentially what we use today in the church as scriptures. What a marvelous thing to happen, but I believe that it was done humbly and quietly. A good cross reference is from Ezekiel 17:

"15 ¶ The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:

17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

18 ¶ And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.

20 ¶ And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes."

Remember that the Ephraim is the son of Joseph and that Lehi was a descendant of Joseph. Actually, Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh, the other son of Joseph. Many thing that Saraiah, Lehi's wife had to have been of the lineage of Ephraim for several reasons, one so that this prophesy could be true from Ezekial. The references to sticks are the records of these nations. Therefore, the stick of Judah is the Bible and the stick of Joseph is the Book of Mormon, and they were made one in this day, at least.

Verse 42 is a great scripture, as well. It says that Christ shall appear to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. We have seen that happen. Christ appeared to the Jews when He came to be born on the earth and then to the Gentiles in America as recorded in 3 Nephi 11-27. For the Second Coming, He will appear to the Gentiles first and then to the Jews, thus the first being the last and that last being the first. Then, at that time, He will show the Jews the marks in his hands and feet and they will know that it was the Messiah that came and who was crucified by them. So, as of now, this is what I think this scripture is saying. : )

1 Nephi 13:35-40

Nephi's vision continues...

The Lord promises that because of the plain and precious parts of the Bible will be taken away, that He will prepare a way for them to be brought back. This is detailed to Nephi at this time. He says that He will minister Himself unto the seed of Nephi. Then they shall write those things down that He will minister. They shall be plain and precious. Then Nephi's seed will be destroyed and the Gentiles shall dwindle in unbelief. As this happens, the writings of Nephi and his seed will be hidden up. Then, they will come forth unto the Gentiles by the gift and power of the Lamb. The plain and precious parts of the gospel will be preserved on those plates.

The angel states that those, in that day, that seek to bring forth Zion shall be blessed, and they shall be saved at the last day. I think that this refers to those good saints in the early days of the church and probably those good people beforehand that did the best they could in life to follow Christ and His teachings whose saving ordinances will be done for them in the temple.

The next verse states that the Gentiles shall have the Bible and they shall bring it to the remnant of the seed of Lehi. Afterward, there came "other books" unto the seed of Lehi, and these books had this purpose: to convince the seed of Lehi, the Gentiles, and the Jews (whom the angel showed to Nephi were now scattered upon the face of the earth) that the records of the prophets (Old Testament, but perhaps not solely) and the twelve apostles (New Testament, again perhaps not solely) are true.

In Verse 40, the angel goes deeper into their purpose. These "last records" shall establish the truth of the first (the Bible), make known the plain and precious parts that were taken away, make known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people that the Lamb of God is the very Son of the Eternal Father and the Savior of the world, and that no one can be saved in the kingdom of God, except it be by Him. Any idea as to what the "last records" are? Here is another quote from the Book of Mormon Institute manual:

“These last records which were to come forth to bear witness of the ‘book of the Lamb of God,’ which is the Bible, are the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the revelations of the Lord to Joseph Smith” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Man, His Origin and Destiny, pp. 411–12).

I would venture to say that continuing revelation comprising the conference issues and the Ensign are also included in the "last books." What a marvelous gift from our Heavenly Father, that we do not have to stumble around in this life without having the fullness of the gospel and constantly learning new things about it each day.

1 Nephi 13:30-34

Nephi's vision continues...

In Verse 30, we see that the Lord has lifted up this nation above all other nations. Additionally, even though the seed of Lehi had been driven forth and slain, they will not utterly be destroyed. The indigenous people of the Americas have been driven forth, with many killed. But, there are still small pockets of them still alive. Here in the United State, for example, we have reservations where they live today.

Next, the angel relates that God will not let the Gentiles remain in a state of blindness because the plain and precious parts of the Bible were taken away by the great and abominable church which was formed. (Remember, the great and abominable church is most likely not a specific church, but the specific group of people that do not follow God, but follow another, one who inspired them to take out those plain and precious parts of the Bible.)

On this, Joseph Smith said (from the Book of Mormon Institute manual), "I believe the Bible as it read when it came from the pen of the original writers. Ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 327).

Next, the angel says that God will visit the house of Israel in great judgment and be merciful unto the Gentiles. I'm not sure what it means that He will visit the house of Israel in great judgment. It is mentioned twice that He will do so. But, afterward, the angel says that God will bring forth much of His gospel which shall be plain and precious saith the Lamb.

We have seen this come to pass. It is in the scriptures: the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, continuing revelation through General Conference, and the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible. This will be discussed more later on.

1 Nephi 13:25-29

Nephi's vision continues...

In Verse 25, he is shown that the words of the Jews went forth to the Gentiles in purity, meaning that the records of the lives of the prophets were true and accurate. Then when the writings of the twelve apostles went unto them, the compilation of which is where we get the Bible, many plain and precious parts were taken out along with many of the covenants of the Lord. This was done to pervert the right ways of the Lord and blind the eyes of men and harden their hearts. Well, they have succeeded in many respects. But as we've said before, the wisdom of God is greater than the cunning of the devil. He has prepared another testament of Jesus Christ, namely the Book of Mormon. This book restores the truths that were lost and points us to living prophets and continuing revelation, so that corruption of the scriptures would never happen again.

Verse 29 reiterates this. The fact that many of the truths were taken out of the Bible is a great stumbling block to the people and for this reason, too, there are great disputations among the people and many sects and religions based off the same book of scripture. So, we must remember the counsel given in Doctrine and Covenants 123:12, " 12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—" So, this is why we must talk with everyone about the gospel restoration. We do not know who is seeking for the truth, but doesn't know where to find it.

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Blog Extra: Good Quotes and Go Vote!

Today is voting day for the next president of the United States. During this time in the Book of Mormon, Nephi sees in vision the establishment of this great country. It was truly the work of the Lord. Here are some pertinent quotes from the Institute manual about one of the reasons this country was founded:

1 Nephi 13:15–19. The Establishment of America
“This great American nation the Almighty raised up by the power of his omnipotent hand, that it might be possible in the latter days for the kingdom of God to be established in the earth. If the Lord had not prepared the way by laying the foundations of this glorious nation, it would have been impossible (under the stringent laws and bigotry of the monarchical governments of the world) to have laid the foundations for the coming of his great kingdom. The Lord has done this. His hand has been over this nation, and it is his purpose and design to enlarge it, make it glorious above all others, and to give it dominion, and power over the earth, to the end that those who are kept in bondage and serfdom may be brought to the enjoyment of the fullest freedom and liberty of conscience possible for intelligent men to exercise in the earth” (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 409).

1 Nephi 13:19. “Delivered by the Power of God”
Elder Spencer W. Kimball spoke of the Lord’s hand in the preservation of the early colonists of America and their deliverance from an army that was seemingly far superior to them:
“I have a firm conviction that the Lord led the Pilgrims and the Puritans across the ocean, perhaps permitted the persecutions that would bring them here, so that when they came to the American shores with their righteous blood and their high ideals and standards, they would form the basis of a nation which would make possible the restoration of the gospel. I am sure that since there was not religious liberty, not political liberty here, the Lord permitted these few poorly-armed and ill-clad men at Valley Forge and elsewhere to defeat a great army with its trained soldiery and its many mercenaries, a few against the many, but the few had on their side the Lord God of heaven, that gave them victory. And there came political liberty and religious liberty with it, all in preparation for the day when a young boy would come forth and would seek and make contact with the Lord and open the doors of heaven again. Following that great manifestation to Joseph Smith came the opening of Cumorah Hill and the speaking of the dead from the dust” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1950, p. 64).

Go Vote!
Here is a warning from the prophet/king Mosiah of the Nephites. Just before he was about to die, he set up a government whose officers would be determined by the voice of the people (see Mosiah 29). Here is the part that we should be concerned with in Verses 26 and 27:

" 26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.

" 27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land."

Please research who would be someone that would best uphold the commandments of God and do that which is right and vote for them. We do not want to be visited with great destruction.

1 Nephi 13:20-24

It is Nephi's turn now to see a book in vision (compare with 1 Nephi 1:11). But this book is a little different, and we know what this book is. At least I hope that we esteem this book to be of great worth and feel that the stories therein are worth knowing. Here are the clues that were given to Nephi by the angel. (1) The gentiles prospered after the Revolutionary War and this book was carried forth among them; (2) it has a great meaning (if the angel asks Nephi about the meaning thereof); (3) it came forth out of the mouth of a Jew; (4) it is a record of the Jews and contains the covenants of the Lord which He made unto the House of Israel; (5) it contains many prophesies of the holy prophets; (6) it is a record like unto the plates of brass (the ones Nephi and his brothers brought out of Jerusalem, but this book is smaller because is says that there aren't as many engravings as the plates of brass); (7) it is of great worth unto the Gentiles; (8) when it proceeded forth out of the mouth of a Jew, it contained the fullness of the gospel; and (9) this fullness came from the record of the twelve apostles. Give up? Well, it's the Bible! The next verses go into more detail about this record. But we should realize its divine origin and understand its history which will be given in the next part of Nephi's vision.

1 Nephi 13:16-19

Nephi's vision continues...

In Verse 16 he says that the Gentiles that were gone forth out of captivity had the power of the Lord with them. This is definitely something that you want on your side when you do anything.

The Gentiles were in captivity. They were controlled in everything. Here is a quote from the Book of Mormon Institute manual on this topic:

“There are expressions in this part of the prophecy that on the surface seem to have little importance but that are of great significance. For example, Nephi says these colonists fled ‘out of captivity’ as they came to the New World. Did they really ‘flee out of captivity’? How did Nephi know that?

“When it is realized how despotic the European kings were at this period, it is easily understood that the colonists did indeed flee from captivity and oppression. Under such kings as James I of England, there was hardly a semblance of freedom. He was the supreme dictator in government, in economics, in education (what there was of it), and in the state religion. He controlled the detailed lives of his people.

“France, Spain, England, and Portugal were the principal powers involved in the discovery and exploration of America, and this is significant, as we shall point out later. All were ruled by despots, and when immigrants finally were allowed to leave the ‘mother countries,’ they indeed fled from captivity. The history of the Pilgrims and Puritans gives ample evidence of this fact” (Petersen, Great Prologue, pp. 32–33).

Verse 17 said that Nephi sees that the mother Gentiles were gathered together on water and on land and gave battle against those that had gone forth out of captivity. This is referring to the Revolutionary War. In the next verse, Nephi is told that the Lord was with the new nation and His wrath was against all those who went to battle against them. In the next verse, it says that they were delivered out of the hands of all those who battled them. This is a marvelous blessing. The fact that we are free today is all due to the Lord and hard work and sacrifices of the people. It is neat to know that Nephi saw a lot of our recent history, and we were blessed to know about it. The details of some of these visions are not made known to us, but this one is, up to our day.

I wanted to finish with a thought about our freedom. There are a couple of places where the Book of Mormon admonishes us to be righteous. If we are not righteous, we will lose this freedom. In Ether 2:12, it says: "Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written." In 2 Nephi 1:5-7, it says:
"5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.

" 6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.

" 7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever."

So, this land is choice unto the Nephites and Lamanites and all those who are led to it. We were led to it at this time in the vision of Nephi. We fall under the same obligation. Let us be righteous and deserve the blessing to live on this land.

1 Nephi 13:15

Nephi sees in vision that the Gentiles that settled the Americas were white, fair, and beautiful, like his seed before they were destroyed.

What does it mean that the people were white, fair, and beautiful? I had wondered that and so I looked up the cross references to this verse. The first was 2 Nephi 5:21. In this verse, Nephi's brothers and their families are cursed with a skin of blackness. This was because of their iniquity. They had once been white because of their righteousness, which had to have been true at some point because it said that they were once fair, white, and righteous. The next scripture is 4 Nephi 1:10. Here, the people of Nephi had seen Christ. He visited them and taught them the fulfillment of the Law of Moses. The verse says that they waxed strong, multiplied exceedingly fast (which means they were good at math, right? : ) and were exceedingly fair and delightsome. Are we seeing a pattern? Perhaps one more cross-reference. In Mormon 9:6, Moroni calls the unbelievers of Christ to repentance and prayer, so that they may become spotless, pure, fair and white, which only comes by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

As we can see from these scriptures, being fair and white is a state of righteousness perhaps more so than being fair-skinned or beautiful as in pretty people. The Lamanites were not righteous and their skin was black. I think that Moroni puts it best. If you repent, then you are made white and fair and pure before God, and you will be saved at the last day. Let's all do better to repent of the things we've done and become fair, and have that change of heart.

1 Nephi 13:13-14

Nephi's vision continues...

Next, he is shown that the Spirit of God wrought upon other Gentiles, or people from Europe and such, and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters. We can see this scripture was/is being fulfilled. There are millions of people that came to the Americas (North and South) searching for religious freedom in the 18th and 19th centuries, and even today.

The next verse tells us that the wrath of God was against the seed of his brothers and they were scattered forth before the Gentiles and were smitten. The indigenous peoples of the Americas were conquered by the Europeans. They were made slaves and killed by the thousands. Cortes caused the fall of the Aztec Empire. Pizarro defeated the Incas.

I was thinking about these verses and there has to be a distinction given. The Lord does not condone the actions of a wicked person. However, sometimes he uses the wicked to destroy the wicked. But I must say that there were good people that came and settled the Americas and there were bad people that came, too. There were a lot of indigenous people that were killed. I don't think that all of them were bad, maybe the majority. But, those that were righteous will be saved and those that are wicked will be punished, no matter if they were killed because the majority of the group was wicked.

1 Nephi 13:10-12

After Nephi sees some things about the rise of the great and abominable church after Christ, he is shown the many waters that divide the Gentiles in the Old World from the seed of his brethren in the New World. The angel tell him that the wrath of God is upon the seed of his brethren. We know that after several generations pass away after the coming of Christ to the Nephite, they become a dark and loathsome people. This is why God is not pleased with them. They have killed off all the Nephites and anyone who will not deny Christ as stated in Moroni 1:2, "For behold, [the Lamanites] are exceedingly fierce among themselves; and because of their hatred they put to death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ."

This is important to know when we consider the next few verses. In Verse 12, the angel shows him the story about a certain man, "And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land." Any ideas on who this man is? Again, we go to the Book of Mormon Institute Manual:

“Note that Nephi says that ‘the Spirit of God came down and wrought upon the man,’ thus causing him (Columbus) to sail across ‘the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren who were in the promised land.’ . . .
“Columbus believed he could reach ‘the Indies’ by sailing westward. Although there were some people who still thought the world was flat, Columbus did not, and he was anxious to make his journey. But it was more than an urge for adventure that impelled the discoverer to undertake what he called ‘his enterprise.’
“Go to any public library, read almost any detailed biography of the discoverer, and it becomes immediately clear that he felt himself an inspired man, sent of heaven to make the voyage. For example, Columbus, Don Quixote of the Seas, written in German by Jacob Wassermann and translated into English by Eric Sutton, tells the story very well:
“‘From my first youth onward, I was a seaman and have so continued until this day. . . . Wherever on the earth a ship has been, I have been. I have spoken and treated with learned men, priests, and laymen, Latins and Greeks, Jews and Moors, and with many men of other faiths. The Lord was well disposed to my desire, and He bestowed upon me courage and understanding; knowledge of seafaring He gave me in abundance, of astrology as much as was needed, and of geometry and astronomy likewise. Further, He gave me joy and cunning in drawing maps and thereon cities, mountains, rivers, islands, and harbours, each one in its place. I have seen and truly I have studied all books—cosmographies, histories, chronicles, and philosophies, and other arts, for which our Lord unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my emprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed. But who can doubt but that the Holy Ghost inspired me?’
(Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1930, pp. 19–20. Italics added.)” (Mark E. Petersen, The Great
Prologue, pp. 25–26).

There are many ideas around now that Columbus was not a good person and is criticized heavily for bringing sickness and plagues to the Native Americans. Even his holiday is sparsely celebrated. I remember in 1992, 500 years after he came, there wasn't much done to commemorate it. Although there were some good people, the Lord had seen fit that these things should come upon them because of what they did to Nephi's seed. Let's remember, too, that if a righteous person dies as a result of another's actions, they will be saved. Having Columbus come to America was part of the Lord's plan to restore His gospel on the earth. There needed to be a land where religious freedom could be practiced. He could not restore His church in Europe, for example. They had to practice religion in a certain way or die, as we had discussed before with the Inquisitions.

1 Nephi 13:4-9

Nephi sees that a great church was formed among the nations of the Gentiles. This church is the most abominable of all other churches. They slay the saints of God. They torture them and bind them down under a yoke of iron and bring them down under captivity.

A possible interpretation of this verse is the Medieval, Spanish, and Portuguese Inquisitions. However, I think that it has a broader meaning as well. Many have said over the years that the great and abominable church is the Catholic church. I don't think that is necessarily true. I remember an institute class discussion on this subject. The teacher posed the thought that these people in the dream were persecuting the saints of God, or the people who followed the teachings of Christ. There are good people that go the the Catholic church, or any church. There are also people that persecute the saints that go the our church. You may profess to belong to a church, but of what church do your actions belong? In 1 Nephi 14:10, it says that there are only two churches on the earth, the church of the Lamb of God and the church of the devil. If you aren't in the church of God, you are in the church of the devil. It's that white and black.

The next couple of verses goes into more of what church do your actions belong to. This is kind of a hard thing. The angel shows Nephi that gold, silver, silks, scarlets, fine-twined linen, all manner of precious clothing, and harlots were the desires of this great and abominable church. They also desire the praise of the world. So, do we desire those things above all? I think that a great connection is to Jacob 2:18-19, which says:

"18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.

19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted"

It is all based on your desires and actions. Do good with the things the Lord has blessed you with. This is why He has blessed you with them, to be instruments in His hands.

1 Nephi 13:1-3

We are now getting into one of my favorite chapters of the Book of Mormon. Nephi sees many things of our day and the history of the United States and America.

The chapter begins with Nephi seeing many nations and kingdoms or the lands of the Gentiles. Since what comes forth in the next few verses pertains the these Gentiles, it was helpful for me to know who exactly were the people called the Gentiles in the scriptures.

This is from the Book of Mormon Institute Manual:

"Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: 'Various meanings have been attached to the name Gentiles in different ages, depending on the historical setting or the doctrinal teachings involved. Literally the meaning is, 'of the same clan or race,' and Biblical revisions frequently substitute the word nations in its place. 'The descendants of Noah’s son Japheth were called Gentiles (Gen. 10:1–5), and in this sense the descendants of Shem . . . and of Ham . . . would not be Gentiles. In the days of Abraham, the term was used to refer to those nations and peoples who had not descended from him, with the added assurance that all Gentiles who should receive the gospel would be adopted into the lineage of Abraham and be accounted his seed. (Abra. 2:9–11.) The Prophet [Joseph Smith] taught that those so adopted became literally of the blood of Abraham.' (Teachings, pp. 149–150.) In the days of ancient Israel, those not of the lineage of Jacob were considered to be Gentiles, although the Arabs and other races of Semitic origin who traced their lineage back to Abraham would not have been Gentiles in the strict Abrahamic use of the word. 'After the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed and the Ten Tribes were led away into Assyrian captivity, those of the Kingdom of Judah called themselves Jews and designated all others as Gentiles. It is this concept that would have been taught to Lehi, Mulek and the other Jews who came to the Western Hemisphere to found the great Nephite and Lamanite civilizations. It is not surprising, therefore, to find the Book of Mormon repeatedly speaking of Jew and Gentile as though this phrase marked a division between all men; to find the United States described as a Gentile Nation (1 Ne. 13; 3 Ne. 21); and to find the promise that the Book of Mormon would come forth 'by way of the Gentile.' (Title page of Book of Mormon; D. & C. 20:9.)' (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 310–11)."

I think that the Gentiles referred to in this part are Europeans perhaps even down to those from the Middle East. We shall see why here soon.

1 Nephi 12:19-EoC

As Nephi was hearing the words of the angel talk about the large and spacious building, he saw, again, his future posterity and the future posterity of his brothers. He saw that because of the pride and temptations of the devil, that his seed had, they were overpowered by the see of his brothers. He saw that the seed of his brothers did so with multitudes. Many generations pass away with wars and rumors of wars plaguing the people. I'm not sure at this point if the Nephites have been killed off. But it says that the people, not specifying who exactly, became a dark and loathsome people, full of idleness and abominations. Perhaps at this point he is referring to the Lamanites, but the Nephites did become dark and loathsome, too. Well, it really doesn't matter because anyone that did not denounce God was killed.

The word idle stuck out to me. I did a quick search for the word forms of idle in the scriptures. Here are some interesting results:

1. In Proverbs 19:15 it says: "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger."
2. In Proverbs 31:27 it says: " She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."
3. In Ezekial 16:49 it says: "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy."
4. In 1 Timothy 5:13 it says: "And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not."
5. In 2 Nephi 5:24 it says: "And because of their cursing which was upon them they did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey."
6. In Alma 1:32 it says: "For those who did not belong to their church did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry or idleness, and in babblings, and in envyings, and in strife; wearing costly apparel; being lifted up in the pride of their own eyes; persecuting, lying, thieving, robbing, committing whoredoms, and murdering, and all manner of wickedness; nevertheless, the law was put in force upon all those who did transgress it, inasmuch as it was possible."

Well, I think that you get the idea. We cannot be idle. Everywhere there is idleness in the scriptures, there is sadness and wickedness. So, be anxiously engaged in a good cause (see Doctrine and Covenants 58:27)!